The United Nations and China agreed to promote a training
project on strengthening volunteerism through the 2008 Beijing
Olympic GamesĀ in BeijingĀ on Wednesday.
Entitled "Strengthening Volunteerism for Development in China
through the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games", the US$1.4 million
initiative is designed to enhance the capacity of Olympic
volunteers and demonstrate volunteerism as an effective tool to
achieve China's development.
The project was signed between the Beijing Organizing Committee
for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), the Beijing Committee of the
China Communist Youth League and the China International Center for
Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), the UN Development
Program (UNDP) and UN Volunteers Program (UNV).
"The 2008 Olympic Games mark a tremendous opportunity to promote
volunteerism in China. Through the project, the international
expertise will help us build the capacity of Olympic volunteer
managers as well as technical assistance," Liu Jian, head of
BOCOG's volunteers department, said at the signing ceremony.
"The 2008 Olympic Games offers China and the world an
opportunity to take a big step forward in raising global awareness
of the power contributed by volunteers, not only to sport but to
the well-being of whole society worldwide," said Subinay Nandy,
UNKP Country Director in China.
The three-year project is to conduct pre-games volunteer
trainings for a core group of 10,000 Olympic volunteer leaders,
managers and trainers in volunteer recruitment, management and
recognition.
It will also launch volunteer campaigns to raise environmental
awareness in Beijing with various activities.
"Through this project with China, we are hoping to illustrate
how the ingenuity, solidarity and creativity of volunteers can
contribute to achieving the nation's development targets," said Ad
de Raad, Executive Coordinator of UNV.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2007)